Collection depicts mainly African American farmers, agricultural workers and United States Department of Agriculture field agents, from the early 20th century to the late1960s, with the bulk of images dating from the mid-1930s to the early 1960s.The collection consists mainly of posed and candid group portraits and candid views of field workers harvesting crops, including cotton; agricultural workers using farm and harvesting equipment; farmers with livestock and dairy and poultry produce; farmers and their families; and federal agriculture department field agents and officials meeting with farm owners. Also depicted are views of youths, indentified as Victory Farm Workers, lining up to board buses (1944); a group portrait of delegates to the Tenth National Convention of the New Farmers of America, at Virginia State College, Petersburg, Virginia (ca. 1940s); a candid portrait of civil rights activist Rev. Charles M. Sherrod, founder of the New Communities, Inc. cooperative farm in Georgia (n.d.); and a view of agricultural workers in El Salvador (1949). Some images are from a series produced for the United States Department of Agriculture (ca. 1961). Additional images of farmers and agricultural workers may be found in the Farm Security Administration collection.
Content: Some photographs bear photographer's handstamp. Some items bear printed or typewritten captions attached to verso; some items bear handwritten, typewritten or printed captions on verso. Some items are mounted. Some items bear cropping marks.
Content: Collection contains work by G. W. Ackerman, Sherman Briscoe, the Office of War Information, and the United States Department of Agriculture, among others.
Physical Description
Extent: 52 items (.3 cu. ft., 1 box)
Extent: 48 photographic prints :gelatin silver, b&w ;21 x 26 cm. and smaller.
Extent: 3 photographic prints :gelatin silver, b&w ;25 x 35 cm. and smaller.
